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Love of Manga = Being a Mangaka? Not So Fast.
A couple of years ago, I had a conversation with an old friend about what our favorite manga series were. After a great deal of discussion, she realized that I loved manga to a huge degree and said that I should be a mangaka. When I told her I couldn’t draw, she said “Write your own manga!”
Question: how many of you have been told to take on the profession of those that fuel your passion? As in “You love manga so much! Why don’t you be a mangaka?”
I don’t know about you, but I just don’t like the idea that certain people assume that that if you want to work in a certain industry, you have to take on the top job (which usually involves something creative) in the industry. If you don’t do that, you are considered a failure. Why is it that such thinking occurs?
I asked geek career counselor, Steven Savage, about this dilemma and he told me there are two things that create what he calls, the “must-do” job myth.
1) The fact that the larger culture assumes that you have to take the obvious job for your career path.
2) An assumption that people into geeky things think alike.
I want to say that all mangaka do need help in getting their works recognized. Where would they be without assistants, sponsors, editors, marketers, etc.? I wonder if people are saying that you have to be at the pinnacle because it’s not a “typical daily job”. Do they believe that the daily grind is not as fun as when you’re the one creating the content?
(Our lovable heroes of Bakuman needed help along the way to get to where they were at.)
Also, geeks are people just like everyone else. Hell, I think everyone is a geek in some way, shape, or form. Stereotypical myths are formed because a large amount of people want to believe they are true. Given that the world can be crazy at times, people want to make sense out of it and won’t accept anything that is different.
It’s hard to make something work without a variety of intertwined parts. There’s too much focus on individualism and not the group effort. Even mangaka have appreciated the help of their editors and assistants.
For those that want to be in the manga industry without being a mangaka, take the time to educate yourself about the various job departments involved in the process of publishing manga and figure out how you can contribute.
Mixing your passion with the right education leads to a state of welcomed power where you can truly shape and embrace your destiny the way you want to envision it.
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More Natsume Ono Goodness
(Natsume Ono fans awaiting her appearance at Kinokuniya.)
Samurai Beat Radio just published an interview with fans during Natsume Ono’s appearance at Kinokuniya Bookstore. Take a listen below!
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Natsume Ono Interview Podcast at Kinokuniya
(Picture: Natsume Ono’s titles on display at Kinokuniya during her interview)
For you Natsume Ono fans out there, the audio podcast of the interview that took place at Kinokuniya Bookstore, NYC on May 10 is now up.The links are below.
Special thanks go out to VIZ Media & Kinokuniya for organizing the event!
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Natsume Ono Appearance Tomorrow at Kinokuniya
As a reminder, famous mangaka Natsume Ono (of Ristorante Paradiso & House of Five Leaves) will be appearing at Kinokuniya Bookstore in Bryant Park, NYC tomorrow, May 10, from 6pm to 8pm.
I will be at the event assisting Samurai Beat Radio and also live-tweeting (if possible) as well. For those who are able to attend, stop on by and say hello.
Also, expect a look at “House of Five Leaves” later this week!
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This picture is up to celebrate this announcement. I have to do something on “House of Five Leaves” soon.
For those of you who read my “About Me” or read from the ANN post about the “Anime Fans Help Japan” podcast, I am also a part of Samurai Beat Radio. Therefore, I will be at the Kinokuniya event on May 10th.
I will let everyone know about how much involvement I will have in the event once further details arise. Stay tuned!
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Eastern-Style Parenting: Is It Really Superior?
Earlier today, I read an interesting (and very controversial) article on Wall Street Journal Online entitled “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior”. The author of the article, Amy Chua, is a Chinese-American parent (and professor at Yale University) who raised her two daughters in a very strict & rigid manner. She even put up guidelines, which they were forced to uphold. One of the craziest parts of the article is where Amy describes how she got one of her daughters, Lulu, to play piano despite many arguments with her husband and Lulu herself.
Reading this article has made me think about Japanese mangakas and what their parents think of them choosing that profession. Eastern-style parenting is as strict as it comes. The Japanese also have a habit of enforcing what should be the norm. Those two factors combined create a large amount of pressure on the individual. Were their parents okay that their children wanted to be mangaka?
There was a recent storyline in Bakuman where one of the manga assistants, Shiratori Shun, got in a fight with his mother over his choice to be a professional mangaka. His mother wanted him to study art in Paris or work for his father. Angry at his mother’s attitude, Shiratori runs away from home & would sleep at a park bench. He would eventually convince his family to let him do as he wishes (with help from Ashirogi Muto).
A couple of questions to ask are how much resistance should there be and how much guidelines you need to provide. There has to be a balance. Yes, children in the West are heavily spoiled these days with so much media influence, but some parents can go overboard when coming up with & enforcing guidelines. A mix of Eastern-style parenting mixed with Western-style individualism goes a long way. Amy’s method of parenting is really extreme and she seems to ignore the possibility of mentally-disabled Asians (which there are a decent number of). Though judging from the tone, you have to wonder whether the article is meant to be taken seriously or just a satirical piece.
So, how do/will you raise your kids? What will you expect out of them? Also, special thanks to the parents of Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Hiromu Arikawa (Fullmetal Alchemist), Karuho Shiina (Kimi ni Todoke), Kiyohiko Azuma (Yotsuba&!), Hideaki Sorachi (Gintama), and Takehiko Inoue (Vagabond, REAL) for letting them do as they please.
Whose mangakas’ parents are you thankful for?
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The Return of “Dragon Ball”?
According to this article at Bleeding Cool, Akira Toriyama is looking to bring back Dragon Ball once more to the manga world.
The question that’s bothering me: Is the manga industry so bad to the point that we need a really old series to rejuvenate the scene?
I love Dragon Ball as much as the next person, but I’m worried that Toriyama and/or Shueisha may tarnish his legacy (if there will be a lengthy run). Then again, it can’t be as bad as Dragon Ball GT. Dragon Ball was the starting point for my love of anime & manga.
The resurgence of Dragon Ball may provide a spark, but the manga industry needs to look back at the past to develop for the future. Don’t just use past elements and place them in the present for short-term impact. Sooner or later, Dragon Ball will be gone again.
To quote from Final Fantasy X-2 (I’m sorry if you hardcore Final Fantasy fans are offended by me mentioning the game), “Knowledge of the past is the key to the future”.
**UPDATE: According to this Twitter status update by Masters of Manga, the return of Dragon Ball will NOT happen.**
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Yana Toboso & The Slow Death of Society
(Sebastian is telling Ciel of Yana Toboso’s plans to get rid of all the manga pirates out there. Ciel noddingly approves.)
What a crazy time in the manga world this past week, huh?
Yana Toboso, mangaka of Kuroshitsuji (aka Black Butler), recently expressed her views on illegal scanlations/fansubs in a blog entry. In her entry, she stated that fans have been sending her crazy responses, telling her that they’ve seen her work illegally. Toboso has responded by saying that creators and voice actors are human beings as well. They need to eat and survive. Other mangakas have supported her view as well. An Anime News Network forum topic on Toboso’s entry has been filled with an overwhelming number of responses, from bashing her to supporting her.
(A translation of the blog entry can be found here.)
First off, why do people want to cause trouble by telling Toboso that they’ve seen her work illegally? Why are they asking for it? Maybe because some fans are just pessimistic at life. Who knows, their lives could be in a downward spiral and they’re just visibly jealous of other people’s successes. Can you blame them for feeling that way? You may also blame their peers or lack thereof. One problem this highlights is that the Internet allows most people to get away with saying things and not suffer any repercussions. It gives off the feeling that they are above the law. No enforcement -> higher temptation to cause trouble.
Regarding fans’ responses to her blog entry itself, I thought to myself it’s quite clear that the shock of reality is clearly confusing the hell out of most of the fanbase. I see that fans’ self-defense mechanisms are working on overdrive, trying to come up with reasons to justify watching/reading her works illegally. You can clearly see the lack of empathy in some of their responses. It’s unbelievable and disgusting for some fans to NOT think of mangaka as real human beings.
There was a response that said that Toboso should be grateful that people are reading/watching her work. FAIL.
This can apply to those who bought it, but not to those who’ve done it for free. Unless that is your intention, would you seriously be grateful to people who illegally make copies of your work for their own purposes? Put yourself in her shoes.
The big problem is that we’re living in a society that wants instant gratification. We’re all guilty of this (hell, I know I am). Our world is now a world where things are easy-to-find & accessible. People won’t let anything get in the way of their need for entertainment, even if it possibly means stealing. They tend to lack competence or self-efficacy. Also, some fans don’t seem to realize (or forgotten) the importance of working hard to achieve dreams.
Look at it this way. Mangakas were once dreamers. They wanted to do something they love and make money doing so, just like all of us. Do you realize how much crap mangakas go through just to get their work published? It’s not easy. Why is it that while we say that we like to support other people’s dreams, we try to crush other people’s dreams? I guess when those dreams become reality, people may have this view that those dreamers start becoming spoiled brats when it’s not always the case.
For those complaining on why Toboso took so long to complain, here’s the thing. In Japan, it’s considered really rude to talk back to someone publicly. Unless it’s something seriously important, then they usually don’t say anything. The culture in Japan is totally different from other countries. I’m sure you understand this if you consider yourself to be a Japanese culture aficionado.
Toboso’s speech has a deeper meaning beyond just complaining about scanlations and fansubs. It’s also a harsh reminder of the society we’re currently living in, where we take things for granted and not many people truly appreciate a hard day’s work. Unless society emphasizes a greater need for impulse control, the crazy conflicts & debates will never end & EVERYONE will lose.
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“There are three rules for being a mangaka if you’re not a genius.
1.) Be conceited. Believe you can do better than anyone else.
2.) Work hard.And the last one…Be lucky.”
- Mashiro Moritaka (Bakuman)
